4.22.2010

i have been experiencing a writer's block. until a few days ago, blogging was one of those things i could not convince myself to sit down and do. much has transpired and the material to share has been ample, i've simply not had enough immediate relativity to relay these experiences in a literal fashon.

my lifestyle of late has also caused a bit of a rider's block. it feels like i spend so much time crafting and criticizing bicycles that often times the end product is hardly enjoyed. that's no good, according to the general public and at times to my general well being. here's a good idea of one of these projects:

this bicycle was broken down to the sum of its parts, sandblasted, and suspended in space as a three dimensional diagram. it was designed to educate and inform those who are less familiar with the mechanics of a bicycle of its beautiful simplicity. anyone can be a (re)cyclist...

i was asked in an interiew recently what this means. to me, a (re)cyclist is a bike savant whose satisfaction of riding is equalled by the satisfaction of restoration. in many cases, the term 'rivalled' is a better choice for 'equalled.'

this time of year is hectic for the (re)cyclist - the beginning of a new season means lots of new projects, and its challenging to stay on top of it all. recently, almost everything has been on hold due to the demands of curating the streetside installation called (re)cycle green(er).

as the curator, i learned an invaluable lesson of what this role truly means. it means making it happen, and there are many fulfillments when you are both an artist and a manager. i tend to want to have a hand in it all, and this ultimately means some long hours. the installation was no small endeavor, and i couldn't have pulled it off without the support of a few friends who did more than was asked of them to ensure the opening was a success.

couple of shout outs: first, to john podmajersky and cynthia west for offering me this opportunity to occupy these galleries and advocate cycling to the community of pilsen and the city of chicago. to my good buddy mark who took this initiative under his wing in so many ways, making sure all the galleries were painted, helping me create each of the pedestals, and engineering the exploded diagram. billydavid, thanks for welding up each of the channels to ensure our bikes are secured. jeremy, your infinite design wisdom, calmness, and facilitation services are invaluable. michael, i owe ya one for delivering all those palettes. danielle, your pixelated t-shirt design was amazing, and i appreciate your help with the inner tube chalkboards. mom, everyone enjoyed the pbr, thanks for the snacks too. efren you deserve a big hug for putting the bench together and the delicious post show bbq. thank you to each of the recyclists, whose work speaks for itself. lastly, my gratitude extends to my friends and each of you who came out to make this event a success.

if you were not able to make it for the opening, you can go to the 1800 block of south halsted in pilsen and take all of this in any time throughout the remainder of this month. the bicycles are visible from the sidewalk in 7 showpods, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.